text:
Jose Cuervo “Father of Tequila” campaign puts heritage and provenance at the center of all forthcoming initiatives
Jose Cuervo Tradicional announced today the launch of an aptly timed campaign that puts the heritage and pride of Mexico’s national spirit front and centre of the exploding tequila category. The campaign will serve as a platform to showcase Jose Cuervo Tradicional, created in 1795, and will celebrate the company‘s history of craftmanship handed down through ten generations of the Cuervo family.
The new campaign provides a new platform for the Cuervo family to continue spreading the love of tequila as respect for this iconic Mexican spirit continues to grow.
“Jose Cuervo is synonymous with tequila and has been at the forefront of tequila premiumisation worldwide, helping consumers appreciate this national spirit alongside other premium categories like Bourbon, Scotch, Gin and Cognac,” said Lander Otegui, Head of Marketing at Jose Cuervo.
“Cuervo Tradicional is the most recognised super-premium tequila in Mexico and has been a staple there for hundreds of years as the original 100 percent agave recipe. Most are unaware that we introduced tequila into the US decades ago and popularised it with the margarita; the time is now to celebrate our founding father story and share it in a way that everyone can appreciate.”
The “Father of Tequila,” a multi-year, multimillion-dollar campaign, puts heritage and provenance at the centre of all forthcoming initiatives, including TV, digital and experiential. Consumers can experience that history first hand by travelling to Mexico and taking the one-of-a-kind, luxury Jose Cuervo Express train from Guadalajara to the town of Tequila and visiting La Rojeña, the oldest distillery in Latin America.
The company worked with award-winning, global advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CPB) to create the campaign, leading with 15 and 30-second TV spots, which will air from today and throughout the year.
“Many spirit brands claim ‘the first’ or ‘the original’ so it was our goal to not just remind people of Cuervo’s origin story, but make history resonate on an emotional level with tequila drinkers,” said Tom Adams, Executive Creative Director, CPB.
“We were inspired by the age-old cocktail party question: If you could have a drink with any historical figure, who would it be? We thought of a party with the most prolific pioneers in art, music and science. Of course, Jose Cuervo would host it.”


text:
Beverly Hills, Calif.’s Rode Drive continues to be a highly-priced avenue to brand awareness.
French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc. paid $17,750 a square foot for a two-story, 6,200-square-foot building at 456 N. Rodeo Drive, next to a Ralph Lauren flagship. LVMH has six boutiques for various brands on the street, but hasn’t disclosed its plans for its recent purchase. The building’s previous owner, Sterling Organization of Palm Beach, Fla., bought it one day for $55 million and the next day flipped it for $110 million. After buying the property, Sterling approached LVMH about leasing the property.
Space is tight and expensive on Rodeo Drive. An average square foot of commercial space on the street rents for $50 to $70 per month. Yet the upscale retailers continue to line up. “In New York, luxury retailers have plenty of viable options where they can locate,” Brian D. Kosoy, Sterling’s president and chief executive officer, told Apparel News. “On the West Coast, it’s all about those three, high-value blocks of Rodeo Drive, where the world’s premier luxury brands must have a presence by planting their flag. As a result, when a circumstance presents itself to acquire a Rodeo Drive property, you aggressively pursue it, regardless of the complications involved in getting a deal done.”
By Brannon Boswell

domain: news


text: The process of registration for the Goods and Services' Tax (GST) will begin from 25 June 2017. The registrations will be open for a period of three months. Those who have not registered can avail of the facility on GSTN. The provisional I.D. of businesses is their GSTN. Those traders who have already obtained A.R.N. can download the Provisional Registration Certificate from the website. The citizens who have filed incomplete forms can also avail of the facility after 27 June on GST Portal. New businesses which are not registered in the current tax regime can also get registered after 25 June 2017 on GST Portal.


text:
The major stock indexes reversed lower Tuesday, but damage was minimal, after a quote from President Trump about the North Korea situation rattled markets.
Speaking to reporters at his New Jersey golf club, he said North Korea threats will be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen." The latest development out of North Korea is that the country has created a small nuclear weapon that can fit in its missiles, according to published reports.
XAt the close, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 lost 0.2%, while the Dow Jones industrial average eased 0.15%. Preliminary data showed volume on the NYSE and Nasdaq coming in above Monday's levels in the stock market today.
Apple (AAPL) outperformed in the Dow, rising 0.8% to 160.08. Nasdaq 100 leaders included Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) and Tesla (TSLA) with gains of 5% and 3% respectively. Apple recently gapped up out of a base last week with a 156.75 buy point after reporting solid earnings. It's still in buy range.
During the regular session, Twilio (TWLO) gapped up over an aggressive entry of 32.33 after reporting strong earnings. Shares jumped 10% to 33.58. The enterprise software firm shows strong sales growth in recent quarters, but the company isn't profitable yet, partly due to heavy R&D spending.
Inside the IBD 50, Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) gapped above its 50-day moving average after reporting earnings before the open. Shares rose nearly 10% to 106.70. Zebra continues to work on a flat base with a conventional entry at 109.40. Also in the IBD 50, PRA Health Sciences (PRAH) also gapped up, rising nearly 7% to 79.14, although the stock met fairly strong resistance around 80. The contract research organization helps Big Pharma and biotech bring drugs to market quicker.
Michael Kors (KORS) retook its 200-day moving average with a bullish gap up in price. Shares jumped 21.5% to 45.25. An earnings beat and strong outlook lifted sentiment around the stock, but sales growth declined for the fourth straight quarter. Last month, Michael Kors announced plans to buy luxury shoe name Jimmy Choo for just over $1 billion.
The current week is quiet in terms of economic data, except for wholesale and consumer inflation data due Thursday and Friday, respectively. Monitoring inflation remains a focal point for the Fed but remains contained so far.


text:
Nevada has taken some giant steps in creating the car of the future recently. They have approved a way to license the car within the state.
The license plate that will be used to officially designate the autonomous vehicle will have a red background, with an infinity symbol on the left-hand side.
“I felt using the infinity symbol was the best way to represent the ‘car of the future,’” the Department of Motor Vehicles’ director Bruce Breslow said in a statement. “The unique red plate will be easily recognized by the public and law enforcement and will be used only for licensed autonomous test vehicles. When there comes a time that vehicle manufactures market autonomous vehicles to the public, that infinity symbol will appear on a green license plate.”
Earn recurring monthly payments selling mobile websites and apps to local businesses.
The coffee vending business is your opportunity to cash in on the 30 billion dollar coffee industry.
Be a part of the number one growth industry while securing your future with residual income.
Unlimited income while helping others succeed. Only for the educated and qualified entrepreneur.
Our one-of-a-kind training program allows you to successfully enter the lucrative world of commercial financing.
Millions of people retire in poverty - but it doesnt have to be this way!


text:
Kate Bosworth is launching a new fashion app
Snapping up style one picture at a time
Partnering with a co-owner of specialty retail chain American Rag Cie and a former president of Gemstar-TV Guide Interactive, Kate Bosworth has unveiled a new app called 'Style Thief' which lets people snap a photo, conduct an image search for a fashion item and buy it instantly through a few clicks.
Peddling the tag line of 'Snap & Steal', the app aims to tap into the popularity of street style, as well as the constant habit of taking photos on smartphones.
"Everyone has fashion envy," said Bosworth. "Everyone can relate to that feeling of looking at an editorial, for example – or a friend, or the runway, for that matter – wanting to steal something exactly as you're seeing it, or something similar."
To attract users, 'Style Thief' plans to kick off a marketing campaign later this year, which will include TV commercials, possibly featuring the actress herself.
"Our intention is to be a tool for consumers to find something and ultimately purchase," Bosworth said. "It's as easy as that."


text:
After much anticipation (and suffering under a monopolised ride-hailing market), Gojek launched a beta version of its app in Singapore on 29 November. President of the Indonesian ride-hailing firm, Andre Soelistyo, told local media that they will “begin the roll-out” of their services and will fine-tune its app “to make sure it meets the high standards expected in Singapore”.
In the first few weeks, Gojek said dynamic pricing (i.e. where fares rise when demand goes up) will not be adopted and fares will be distance-based. Dynamic pricing will be introduced at a later date. The app can currently be downloaded from the Apple and Android app stores, and a full launch will most likely be held early next year. Hurray!
The following are some quick facts about Gojek’s beta launch:
– Only rides beginning and ending in the eastern and south-central parts of Singapore will be available during the beta phase.
– The minimum fare for Gojek rides is S$6.
– The beta app DBS or POSB customers will be given priority to book rides.
Lower Ride Fare for Commuters (or not…)
Gojek’s entry has been highly anticipated by Singaporeans after Uber was acquired by Grab in March this year, which allowed for Grab to monopolise the market. Following the merger, many commuters noticed a lack of discounts and promo codes. Although Grab prices remained the relatively the same, more commuters were paying the full price for their rides. Many commuters also noticed outrageous surges in fares, even during non-peak periods. Hopefully, with a competent competitor like Gojek, commuters can look forward to a (slight) drop if ride fares.
However, this might not be the case. In the same interview with local media, Soelistyo hinted that promotions might not be as aggressive as it was during the days when Grab and Uber started off in Singapore. He added GoJek’s focus will be on building a differentiated product rather than “market building” and hoped that “pricing is not the key determinant of choosing one over the other”.
It is unfortunate that Gojek seems to underestimate the importance of competitive ride fares as only a small portion of Singaporeans are willing to pay extra for better/additional services. In addition, it is also highly unlikely that Gojek’s services would be significantly superior to Grab. Even so, there is nothing stopping Grab from trying to copy them. Sigh…
Better Incentive for Gojek Drivers
Local media also reported that thousands of drivers had registered on GoJek’s portal just a few hours after its launch on 26 November. Many drivers were excited and hope for better work conditions under Gojek as Grab drivers often end up working long hours to make ends meet.
Despite our disappointment in not having low fare rides, we are happy that Gojek places a strong emphasis on good remuneration of their drivers. It listed several incentives, including promising drivers minimum earnings of S$30 for every hour they have the app running during peak periods, and S$15 for non-peak hours. Drivers also earn a minimum of S$20 for every trip they complete on Thursday and Friday. This will provide a an alternative for private hire drivers who are unhappy under Grab.
Initial users of Gojek are providing positive feedback of the app, which appears to be on track to becoming a reliable alternative for commuters. While Grab welcomes the competition, we hope that Gojek’s presence in Singapore will shake things up (and result in more promotions and lower fare prices for commuters). One can only hope that Gojek does well and not end up like Ryde, who had very little success penetrating the market. We shall wait and see!


text:
News PS3, PSP, PS Vita Move 6.5 Million Units in 2011's Final Weeks
posted on 2012-01-10 03:26 EST
Sony Computer Entertainment sold 6.5 million PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita units during the last several weeks of 2011. Specifically, the company sold 3.9 million PlayStation 3s, 1.6 million PSPs, and 500,000 PS Vitas. The number covers sales in Japan and Asia from November 21, 2011 to January 5, 2012; in North America from November 21 to December 31; and in Europe from November 18 to December 31.
Available Now: Winter 2018 Short Anime - Beatless - Touken Ranbu Hanamaru 2 - DARLING in the FRANXX - HAKYU HOSHIN ENGI - Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens - Hakumei and Mikochi - and MUCH more! ― Welcome to Anime News Network's Winter 2018 Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics write up thei...


text:
Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalist who relishes writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desire to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain media and sites.
The funding from American Express Ventures as well as the other FalconX investors will help position the company to tap into the potential opportunities in the space in 2021.
FalconX, an all-in-one American technology company with a platform for institutions trading cryptocurrency, has welcomed American Express Ventures as its latest investor and funding partner. According to the official announcement published on Wednesday, the investment from American Express Ventures comes as an extension of the $17 million funding round launched by FalconX back in May 2020.
Following this latest funding from American Express Ventures (actual funds not disclosed), the payment giant now joins FalconX’s existing investors which include Coinbase Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Avon Ventures, a venture capital fund affiliated with FMR LLC, the parent company of Fidelity Investments.
With the liquidity provided through the backing of its investors, FalconX is able to offer its growing institutional clients its all in one cryptocurrency services bordering on trading, credit provision, and clearing. According to the company, the platform has seen exponential growth both in its monthly revenue and its clients alike. It revealed that from the last funding round announced on May 13th, its revenue has grown to over $3 billion monthly amounting to a 350% growth. Its client base has also grown by over 150% to 250 as of Wednesday when it made the report.
“We’re seeing growing interest from traditional asset managers who are adding cryptocurrencies as an inflationary hedge, catalyzed by recent macro-economic policies,” said Raghu Yarlagadda, FalconX CEO and co-founder. “It is a great pleasure to welcome American Express Ventures as we continue to invest in expanding FalconX’s product offering.”
FalconX Seeks to Use Its Investor Funds to Drive Product Simplicity
The coronavirus inspired growth in the cryptocurrency ecosystem is partly being fueled by the crop of institutional investors entering into space on a daily basis. In a bid to land a fair share of these new institutional investors, several cryptocurrency service providers including FalconX are making unique provisions that are capable of enticing new clients.
The operation of a simple platform that serves a multifunction is one of the selling points of FalconX. “FalconX is helping bring simplicity to the increasingly complex digital asset space through a platform that provides discovery and pricing all in one place,” said Harshul Sanghi, Global Head of Amex Ventures. “Amex Ventures invests in startups as a way to better understand emerging areas of the payments ecosystem, and we are pleased to support FalconX as it continues to drive innovation in the digital asset space, including digital currencies.”
With the cryptocurrency ecosystem experiencing a boom due to the new price rally of Bitcoin, the funding from American Express Ventures as well as the other FalconX investors will help position the company to tap into the potential opportunities in the space in the year ahead.


text:
Coming to terms with cheap meat
Check out this interesting article from the New York Times food section entitled Chef's New Goal: Looking Dinner in the Eye. The piece discusses the push by chefs, most notably Jamie Oliver, to better educate the eating public about where we get our food, how the animals we eat are raised (and killed), and how much we're willing to pay for our dinner.
“A chicken is a living thing, an animal with a life cycle, and we shouldn’t expect it will cost less than a pint of beer in a pub,” said Oliver in a special television broadcast. "The only reason for the miserable lives lived by most chickens is the insistence on cheap food." There's obviously more wrapped up here than meets the eye, but no matter what we think of Jamie's celebrity, we must appreciate the pull he exerts on the Brits. The British press reported that after the Jamie Oliver broadcast, supermarkets across the United Kingdom quickly sold out of free-range eggs and chickens.
Underground Food Collective has always held this truth as self-evident, and had the opportunity this past year to naturally-raise pigs on a local farm, kill and butcher the animals, and serve a portion of the meat at a celebration dinner. While I'm no longer a member of the central collective, I applaud Underground for their tireless efforts in supporting sustainable farming and engaging in humane animal rearing (and killing). Someday you too can have a TV show. -Tim


text:
Sony has taken to the PS Blog to announce a new batch of titles coming to their popular streaming service, PS Now.
Announced on the PS Blog, Sony has revealed that Hitman 2, Greedfall, and Dead Cells will all be joining PS Now in the month of August. All three of the titles will be available on the service until February 2021, giving players a long haul to complete these titles.
Sony’s PlayStation Now is a streaming service that gives users the option to rent a variety of titles including Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and much more. The library is constantly growing and improving, so if streaming video games is your knack, be sure to give it a try. With an ever-growing lineup of titles, Sony is giving players a bang for their buck when it comes to the PS Now service.
Hitman 2, Greedfall, and Dead Cells join PS Now in the month of August.
What are your thoughts on these new titles? Are you excited? Let us know in the comments down below and be sure to stay right here at Gameranx for the latest gaming news releasing.
Source: PS Blog


text:
MSC Cruises has confirmed its previously announced plans to deploy a ship year-round in North America, announcing this week that the Lirica will begin sailing from New York in April 2007.
According to MSC (USA) President and CEO Rick Sasso, the Lirica will offer longer cruises to the deep Caribbean and seven-day cruises to Bermuda and New England and Canada. Itinerary details have not been finalized yet, he said.
MSC has also named its two 135,500-ton ships ordered from STX France last month for nearly $1.2 billion. The first will be the MSC Fantasia for delivery in June 2008; the second will be the MSC Splendida for delivery in March 2009.
By 2009, MSC's passenger capacity will have grown to more than 900,000, Sasso said.
In addition to sailing in the Mediterranean, one of the two post-Panamax ships may winter in the Caribbean.
The Fantasia and Splendida will be 1,092 feet long, 124 feet wide and accommodate 3,300 passengers, double occupancy. The ships will have 1,650 staterooms of which 1,260 will have private balconies. With a crew of 1,313, the ships will boast a higher crew-to-passenger ratio and a more favorable space ratio than competitive European lines, according to press materials.
There will be a special two-deck section of VIP suites with butler service as well as an exclusive restaurant, pool and sun deck, and other amenities. The cruising speed will be 23 knots.
Also under construction at Chantiers de Atlantique are the 89,600-ton, 2,550-passenger Musica, which will be delivered next June, and her sister ship, the Orchestra, for delivery in 2007.
The 1,600-passenger Lirica and the 1,760- passenger Opera are sailing in the Caribbean this winter, while the 1,600-passenger Sinfonia sails seven day cruises in the Mediterranean, and the 1,500- passenger Armenia and 1, 180-passen Melody are in South America. The 600-passenger Monterey and the 940-passenger Rhapsody are laid up during the winter.
Next winter, MSC will have the Lirica and the Musica in Fort Lauderdale on Caribbean programs, thus increasing its winter capacity with the bigger Musica, and possibly a third ship - the Opera. But that decision has not been made yet, Sasso said.
Moving to New York also does not exclude MSC from going to other markets such as Alaska and the Panama Canal, according to Sasso.
''North America will play a significant role in MSC's growth," Sasso said, adding that he expects to carry 90,000 North American passengers by 2007, and that eventually the U.S. will be the cruise line's second home market.
Sasso also confirmed MSC's agreement with Sophia Loren who, he said, will feature prominently in the line's advertising and promotion.
As for New York, Sasso said there are 70 million people living in the Northeast who would have the convenience of driving to the port and saving by not having to pay for airfare. In addition, New York draws tourists from around the world, he added.


text: Barclays upgraded the data-center hardware maker's stock to overweight from neutral and raised the price target to 107. The analyst is expecting F5 Networks' (FFIV) product transition and introduction of new hardware to gain significant momentum into the second half of the year. F5's stock has shot up more than 35% since early July, but shares are still down 4% in '13 over revenue growth worries earlier in the year. But F5 reported fiscal Q3 profit and revenue above views and raised its current quarter outlook July 25. Shares rose 3.1%.


text:
Despite the constrained economic scenario, the Korean equipment giant is making the most of the momentum gained from recent stellar performances to build a solid platform for the future
Every dark cloud has a silver lining, it is said. And for heavy equipment heavyweight Doosan, that silver lining in the dark clouds of the current slowdown in machinery sales in the Middle East is an increase in market share.
Despite the constraints of the times, the Korean company’s Middle East arm has managed to improve on its market performance in the past 18 months, says Woohyun Kim, Doosan Infracore’s head of sales in the Middle East for its heavy equipment range.
In a chat with CMME in the first half of last year, Kim had pegged Doosan’s market share in the region at 14%, quite a healthy presence given the stiff competition and the global giants who are in the fray for a slice of what is evidently a smaller pie than it once was. Right now, though, that number looks even better.
“Up to April, 2017, Doosan’s market share has been grown to over 15%,” Kim tells CMME. “This is mainly the outcome of strengthening our aftersales value to the market and customers. We are strong in almost all GCC countries now and widening our presence with a single strategic approach across the region.”
That single strategic approach encompasses Doosan’s range of excavators, wheeled loaders and other equipment segments, and Kim adds: “Most of these segments are well positioned in the region and have provided us a mixed growth and market share performance.”
In fact, the only machinery segment that has not been so rosy for the company is the articulated dump truck. “Due to a big decline in the market for articulated dump trucks, almost all brands have done little or no sales of the product these days,” Kim explains. However, other equipment classes tell another story for the company.
“We have been maintaining our position at the top end of the market in the region for quite some time now. There have been periodic ups and downs in the Middle East market during our long association with it, but we have always managed to retain our customers and gain new ones… despite the market underperforming, we were able to hold our own in the region.
“We actually improved our market share in the Middle East and were in the top-two in several categories. We are currently keeping up the pace this year that we have built up over the past few years.”
Tough times demand tough measures, however, and so Doosan re-thought its priorities for 2016 and this year.
These past few years have been a struggle for everyone in the market due to the sudden drop in demand, Kim says. “Our main aim for 2016 was to hold on to the market share we have already achieved and focus more on customer care,” he says, revealing a strategy that has paid rich dividends for the Koreans, actually increasing their market share.
Investment in after-sales
As per its priorities, Doosan has dedicated considerable time and attention to ramping up its aftersales and support game and Kim believes it’s the behind-the-scenes work that retains customers.
“It has been found that our strength of performance, quality and reliability are enough to go against any other brand, and we can position ourselves as premium after adding the special value of aftersales onto our sales strategy. This ties in with the global spectrum of our brand positioning across all regions, which has led to fast growth worldwide,” he says.
“Aftersales is one of our key drivers for sustaining and growing our business in the region. We believe a first good touch will bring a second chance. Doosan’s emphasis is on more investment in aftersales, as a result of which we provide 100% parts distribution coverage in the entire region from Dubai through our Parts Distribution Centre (PDC).”
Special customer care programmes are also undertaken by dedicated teams in the UAE and Korea, Kim adds. Doosan opened the PDC in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone in 2015 to service its key lines across the Middle East and Africa – Bobcat, Doosan Portable Power and Doosan Heavy. The facility stocks inventory worth over $3m in Doosan and Bobcat parts in 1,540sqm of warehouse space, serving 25 dealers in the region.
“Our strategy is to cover a big region within 24 hours with parts. Before we had this PDC, we were able to do less than 70% coverage within 24 hours. Now we have increased that by roughly 20%,” Kim notes, meaning that 90% of the MEA region can obtain parts within 24 hours.
“Faster delivery means less cost. Dealers will pay only the cost of shipment from Dubai to their country. So Dubai to Oman or Dubai to Saudi is surely less than from a European country to the Middle East.
“Staying close to customers is a key factor of success in aftersales, so Doosan and our dealers have put in our efforts on a ‘go to market’ strategy to increase access to customers and job-sites within 24 hours.”
And faster delivery is what is required given the increasing uptake of Doosan products in the region. Kim attributes the brand’s stellar performance in the Middle East over the past few years to the customisation that Doosan products undergo before being sold here.
“All our markets have been developed and upgraded with additional configurations and performance enhancements every year. The main strengths of our line are reliability, productivity and durability.
“We have been customising our products for the Middle East’s harsh conditions by fitting heavy-duty components, as well as improving engine reliability by including upgraded filters as standard. With over 50 years of experience, Doosan brings the latest technologies to the customisation,” Kim says.
For the Middle East, Doosan provides what it calls its ‘desert package’. This is a one-stop resolution of the issues that equipment can face in this particular geography.
Machines are equipped with different oil and air filters, stronger frames and modified engines to withstand the rigours of operating in a region where conditions can get really extreme.
With so much attention to detail lavished on the Middle East market Doosan is cautiously optimistic for the future.
Speaking about the future, Kim says: “As the market’s going now, it looks like it will stay tough for a while. Under the circumstances, it is more important to satisfy Doosan’s existing customers and fulfil their requirements in order to drive our brand to an even higher position in the market.
Doosan delivers: Success in the region
According to Doosan Bobcat EMEA, 2016 saw several big-ticket sales in the wider Middle East region. Led by Saudi Arabia, the Korean giant made several deliveries of heavy equipment throughout the region. The 40 Doosan machine sold covered all sizes of equipment and included both tracked and wheeled excavators, wheel loaders and other large equipment.
This follows a great success for the company at Bauma last year, where Doosan saw 150 machines sold on its stand during the show and a huge number of sales leads generated for follow-up after the event. Doosan said the international trade press conducted over 120 face-to-face interviews at the company’s stand in Bauma and a leading German publication judged the Doosan Bobcat stand among the top-3 “must-sees” at the exhibition.
Over 100 Bobcat compact loaders, compact excavators and telehandlers were also sold during Bauma, with the greatest interest shown in the E17, E19 and E20 1-2t compact excavators as well as the prototype of the new E10 electrically powered 1t micro-excavator presented for the first time at the exhibition. The list of new products was even more extensive in the display of Doosan Heavy machines, which included five new wheeled excavators, two new crawler excavators and two new wheel loaders.
Among the products sold in the Middle East was the 5t DX57W-5 wheeled excavator, which in addition to complying with the latest Stage IIIB emission regulations, incorporates many new features that increase performance, operator comfort, durability and fuel efficiency. Also selling in the region are the DX140LC-5 14t and DX140LCR-5 15t crawler excavators powered by the Perkins 1204F engine, a small engine that combines reduced fuel consumption with the performance of a larger engine.
There was also a significant number of sales and enquiries for compressors, generators and lighting systems in the Doosan Portable Power range, which included the new Doosan G400-IIIA and G500-IIIA Stage IIIA compliant generators.


text:
THINGS change slowly at Mercedes-Benz. Peter Pfeiffer, who had been head of design since 1999, recently retired. He joined Mercedes in 1968 — the year his successor, Gorden Wagener, was born.
Mr. Wagener, who is now vice president for design for Mercedes-Benz cars, has been with the company 11 years. Most recently he was head of advanced design in North America and he was in charge of the company’s satellite studios. He put his mark on production cars, most notably the acclaimed CLS four-door coupe, as well as forward-looking creations like the F700, a swept-back design study that made its debut last year at the Frankfurt auto show.
Continuity was on Mr. Wagener’s mind in a recent telephone interview. So was design for the global market.
“A Mercedes has to have a certain presence,” he said. “It should look like a luxury car. This is basic. We have a long history of the brand and we have to respect that history. Our grille is the oldest in the world.”
Mr. Wagener has his favorite models from that history, including the often-cited 300SL Gullwing and the W196 Silver Arrow racecars of the 1950s, but also the Blitzen Benz of 1909, a primitive cigar-shaped racer.Continue reading the main story
But Mr. Wagener, who studied at the University of Essen, in the German city where he was born, and then at the Royal College of Art in London, said that despite some stunning cars in its past, Mercedes does not do retro design. He added that in a market motivated by innovation, constancy becomes harder.
“An old Mercedes shouldn’t look old,” he said. “We have to design three to five years ahead, like everyone, but then we have to think seven more years ahead because the cars last that long. We are determined that even in 10 to 15 years the car should not look old.”
Despite the general philosophy of continuity and gradual evolution at Mercedes, there are occasional leaps forward, Mr. Wagener said. Advances have parallels in current theories of biological evolution, which place less emphasis on continuity than on what biologists call punctuated equilibrium — periods of stability broken by sudden changes. Mr. Wagener described Mercedes design in similar terms.
“Sometimes we have made significant jumps, with models that make a really strong design statement,” he said, citing the CLS, a sedan with a sweeping profile that the company calls a four-door coupe. The arc of its roof inspired automakers from BMW to Volkswagen to do their own slope-backs.
“We created a new segment with the CLS,” he said. “Our competition is following us into that segment. To maintain our design leadership we have made a significant jump in the successor to the CLS.” That car will not appear for at least two years.
Another example is the newest large Mercedes sedan, the S-Class, with its boldly stated fenders and color-banded taillights. “When we brought out the new S-Class with the new wheel arches it was polarizing and unexpected,” he said. “Now it sells more than our competition put together.”
But as admired as it is, the company’s track record in design has not been perfect in the last few years. The S-Class was shaped to lead buyers smoothly from the Mercedes line to the superluxury Maybach, with which it shares lines and the shape of its hood. But Maybach sales have been sluggish, leaving the S-Class as a bridge to nowhere.
The R-Class, a van-wagon whose style is related to the CLS (at least in the sweep of its roofline), has not been a sales success, either. And when the new GLK sport utility was rolled out at the Detroit auto show in January, the reception was lukewarm.
As it adds models and expands into new types of vehicles, including crossovers, Mercedes design is moving toward a sort of family approach, Mr. Wagener said. “When you look back to the 1990s we had a kind of horizontal homogeneity. Then we started to differentiate our products. We now have 18 different models.
“As we develop our design philosophy further we will not make every car look alike,” he said. “But we will create individual characters and have families all under one philosophy. For instance, the GLK is in the family of the G-Wagen, which is boxy, an icon.”
A Mercedes has to look at home in China or California, as well as in front of a hotel in Berlin or Paris. “Mercedes is a German car bought all over the world,” he said. “We have to make sure it looks good everywhere.“
The company’s California studio is moving south, from Irvine to much larger quarters in Carlsbad, previously occupied by the Chrysler Pacifica studio.
Designers also face the question of how to express new technologies like hybrid or fuel-cell powertrains.
“The interesting question for the whole industry is how that will change cars,” Mr. Wagener said. “As designers, we look for the impact of this. Should a car look different if it is powered by a fuel cell? Mercedes has always been about a high-tech car. Design has to express that. So we look not just at technical, but at social and cultural trends.
“It is easier to make a smaller car green,” he said, than to make a green S-Class. “Mercedes has always been associated with high technology and precision — all those German qualities,” he said. “With the F700, we researched how the classic limousine will change due to environmental impact. We took the classic three-box silhouette and made its space more efficient.”
The F700 may foreshadow the next S-Class. It offers the best glimpse available into the direction Mr. Wagener will take Mercedes.
The F700 exaggerates even further the sweeping bananalike body curve of the CLS. Mr. Wagener said it took its form from dolphins. “It was inspired by nature and hydrodynamics,” he said.
The F700 seems ungainly, even shocking. More ungainly still is the Boxfish concept, recently shown at the Museum of Modern Art, another vision of a car derived from nature. “It still looks more like the fish than like a car,” Mr. Wagener admitted.
Nature, however, is also what appeals to us in the shapes of classic cars, Mr. Wagener said. “The classic shapes, the very full big radiuses are anatomical. We as humans naturally favor shapes that relate to us, that are primal. Certain shapes are beautiful because they come from the human body,” he said. “They are natural and timeless.”
Mr. Wagener said he was reminded of this in May, when he and Mr. Pfeiffer drove in the Mille Miglia rally through Italy. He was impressed by how older cars still had the power to impress.
“You would downshift and people would cheer,” he said.
The way auto shapes attract us, he said, goes back to childhood. “This relates to the human body as well,” he said. “At the end, the car has be attractive, to be beautiful and, if that is the right word, to be a little sexy.”Continue reading the main story


text:
It seems that Google is pretty happy with the result of the Moto X design and while it’s not for sale yet and we don’t know how good will it sell, Google might be starting to trust Motorola as a production and manufacturing company.
Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, former Vice President of Google’s America Operations, told the Wall Street Journal that Google is considering giving Motorola the production of future Google Glass models which is a big deal since Google is paying a lot of attention to its augmented reality glasses and is giving them just as much press as Android or Chrome. Woodside also added that manufacturing Glass would be “an opportunity” for the company, which is now part of Google but it’s still run independently. Motorola’s supply chain head Mark Randall is advising Google executives on how to solve some manufacturing issues with Google Glass, which we know that Google has the intention of offering to the public by the end of the year.
Ever since Google purchased Motorola for $12.5 billion, they kept it at arm’s length with a firewall in between, most likely to prevent other manufacturers to get angry and jump ship to other platforms. This has proven to be true, with the Moto X not launching with the latest version of Android and there was a former Motorola employee who said that Chrome was almost not pre-installed because they couldn’t get help from the Android team over at Google’s side of the equation. This was probably on purpose to show the world that Motorola is just like the rest, and they probably made things even a little harder just to keep everyone else happy. Woodside said that the Moto X not launching with Android 4.3 was just a matter of bad timing and not of a tense relationship, the Moto X will receive the new software shortly with an over-the-air update.
Everybody knows that Google purchased Motorola for the patents right after losing the Novell patents to a group formed by Apple, Microsoft, Oracle and some other, but Google didn’t sell Motorola like some people thought, instead, they started cleaning it up, they fired about 5000 employees and closed some factories around the world, they reduced the amount of devices they would release and just finished off some devices that were already in production. After doing all that hard work, it was Google’s turn to create a product with Motorola, which lead to the release of the Moto X and the new Droids on Verizon (which are very similar) and while some Motorola employees said that they had no help from Google or the Android team, the device is looking to be very attractive to many people, with features like Touchless Control, the Active display, quick camera access through a double-flick gesture and a battery life of 24 hours, which is yet to be tested.
The Moto X is very comfortable in the hand and the materials and build quality are excellent and the fact that they were able to create a manufacturing process that allows them to deliver a custom-built phone in less than 4 days is amazing.
Right now, Google Glass is in the hands of about 10,000 people, with 8,000 receiving it from the #ifIhadGlass contest, 1,500 buying it at the Google I/O event last year and other celebrities receiving it directly from Google. 8,000 more people could be getting a pair of glasses thanks to a new program that allows the winners of the contest to invite a friend to join the testing.
Google will probably keep Motorola’s smartphone division separated, but it seems that they are thinking about working closely together in other aspects and products. If Motorola ends up making the Google Glass that goes on sale at the end of the year, we might even see more hardware coming from them now that Google is getting more and more in the hardware business. Glass looks like a product that could benefit hugely from Motorola’s experience with battery life.


text:
The nutritionists' case for not setting limits on Halloween candy
Published Wednesday, October 30, 2019 10:43AM EDT
TORONTO -- For a lot candy-crazed kids, Halloween is synonymous with sugar, and that makes it one of the scariest times of the year for parents fearful of encouraging bad eating habits.
Knowing how to curb monstrous appetites without being the party pooper can be tricky, and advice can vary over when and how to pick your battle over high-calorie sweets.
Is there such a thing as "good candy"? Does a spike in sugar intake really make kids hyper? Does limiting the candy they eat give kids a complex about food?
The right approach to keeping kids from overdoing it requires advance planning and basic ground rules, many experts say, with several warning that coming down too hard could end up making sweets more desirable.
Here's a look at what some dietary, dental and health experts say on navigating junk food pitfalls.
THE "NO LIMITS" ARGUMENT
Your kid may want to overdo it on Halloween night but Ontario dietitians Chelsea Cross and Andrea D'Ambrosio are each emphatic that parents should not limit candy consumption.
Cross, who specializes in weight loss and digestive health in Guelph, Ont., says to instead focus on promoting healthy eating habits so children learn to moderate intake year-round. What you don't want, she says, is for kids to believe some foods are "bad" or "good."
D'Ambrosio warns that "negativity" and "fear mongering" increases desire for the very food you're trying to restrict, and that's why she has a "liberal candy stance" outlined in a blog post titled: "Why parents must stop restricting Halloween candy."
"When parents encourage children to listen to their bodies, the child discovers how much they need to eat," says Kitchener, Ont.-based D'Ambrosio of Dietetic Directions. "Conversely, when parents dictate how much the child 'should' eat, we slowly erode the intuitive eating skill."
Of course, not all experts agree with such loose rules. Vancouver dietitian Ali Chernoff says kids should be limited to one candy on Halloween and ensuing days to instill moderation.
Avoid gorging Halloween night by filling tummies with a balanced meal or healthy snacks beforehand, adds Cross, and redirect kids who are fixated on candies to other festive activities like spooky stories or songs.
"HEALTHIER" CANDY, SORT OF.
Chernoff notes pretty much all candy is packed with sugar and there's little nutritional difference between the commercially popular brands.
"I would love to give out apples," Chernoff chuckles.
When it comes to candy options, natural licorice is lower in calories and has no fat, she says. Meanwhile, a growing number of brands like stevia-sweetened SmartSweets gummies are low in sugar and high in fibre, she says.
Chernoff recalls how her mother -- a dental hygienist -- used to give out toothbrushes on Halloween night to avoid cavities. Sticky gummies and chews, and sweets that sit on teeth like lollipops and juice, are among the worst for teeth, she says.
Cross says nutrient-dense sweets, like energy bites and granola bars, are the better options.
But don't be fooled by those supermarket gummies that tout ingredients including real fruits and vegetables. Cross calls those products "a gimmick."
"It could be from real fruit but it's still just a fast sugar hit, you're not getting any fibre or any benefits, per se," says Cross, whose MC Dietetics has offices in Mississauga and Guelph, Ont.
THE SUGAR MYTH
Despite long-held notions to the contrary, Chernoff says there's no actual proof behind the belief that sugar turns little kids into over-active monsters.
The founder of Nutrition At Its Best dismisses it entirely as "a myth."
"There is no scientific evidence showing that sugar makes you hyper," she says.
"Your energy is really coming from fruits and vegetables and grains. That's the gas to your car, that's what fuels us and gives us actual energy."
Kids are generally nuts for all the associated activities of Halloween, adds Cross, who suspects many are just as hyped up on dressing up and night-time exploration as the candy itself.
In the days that follow, the Canadian Dental Association recommends only eating treats with a meal, and modelling good behaviour with your children by eating one yourself and talking about what you like about the candy you chose.
They also advise drinking a glass of water after eating a sugary treat to help wash away some of the sugars and acids.
Post-Halloween parents should be in charge of the snack haul, not the kids, adds Cross. She suggests putting the stash in a hard-to-reach location and just not offering it as the days pass.
Allow one treat a day for the first week or so after Halloween, and then work on tapering kids off of their stash, she says.
And don't deny them if they ask for a candy, she adds. Eventually, she says most kids will return to their regular routine.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2019.


text:
Volkswagen is recalling certain 2015 Audi Q3 vehicles over a potential sunroof safety issue. If the vehicle is turned off while the sunroof is closing, the sunroof could continue to close instead of stopping, according to VW.
“As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 118, ‘Power-Operated Window, Partition and Roof Panel Systems,” according to a statement from VW.
“If the sunroof is closing while the vehicle is shut off and a vehicle occupant is in its path, there is an increased risk of injury,” according to VW.
“In January 2015 during routine testing, the sunroof function in a subject vehicle appeared to potentially be noncompliant with a portion of the applicable safety standard; however the vehicle was equipped with sunroof pinch protection functionality,” according to VW.
In February and March 2015, Audi found that the vehicle complied with the applicable European safety standard but that it did not comply with the comparable FMVSS 118/S5 pinch protection requirement.
The issue is caused by “incorrect coding within the sunroof control module,” according to the automaker.
The vehicles covered by the recall were manufactured April 4, 2014 to November 5, 2014 and include 3,646 units.


text:
Reddit Seeks Senior Engineer for Platform That Features 'NFT-Backed Digital Goods'
On Friday, American social news aggregation and discussion website, Reddit published a job listing seeking a senior backend engineer for a non-fungible token (NFT) platform. As part of Reddit’s development team, the new hire would help “design, build and ship backend services for millions of users to create, buy, sell and use NFT-backed digital goods.”
Buyers shell out $7M for unseen NFT collection
Nonfungible token (NFT) investors have poured $7 million into a dutch auction that sold 50 tokens conferring ownership over digital artworks that will not be minted until December.
Dogecoin (DOGE) Rallies 8% After Elon Musk Call Its People’s Crypto
While the broader cryptocurrency market has entered strong consolidation, mem crypto Dogecoin made a strong move after Elon Musk called its people’s cryptocurrency. In his recent Tweet response, Musk explained his reason to support DOGE after calling it people’s crypto.
Jack Dorsey warns ahead of looming hyperinflation, as people look to BTC for rescue
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey may have just warned of an impending hyperinflation that is set to happen in the U.S. and then the world at large.
In Argentina, several businesses accept payments in BTC, DOGE, other cryptos
Imagine going on vacation and being able to pay both your Uber driver and Airbnb host with crypto. This sounds like a fantasy for many but is reportedly now a reality for users in Argentina.
Polygon Successfully Averts Catastrophic Loss Of Up To $850 Million
Polygon is leaving no stone unturned for the security of its network and the latest move is the payment of a bounty reward to a white hat hacker. Potentially, the sum of $850 million has been saved thanks to the quick actions of the team.
As Altair upgrade nears, looking into Ethereum outperforming Bitcoin ‘at some point’
Ethereum’s transition to proof of stake (PoS) with new protocol upgrades is being implemented to support a seamless transition. Ahead of next week’s Altair Beacon Chain upgrade, ether’s price crested to a new all-time high of $4,361 on 21 October but then it gradually pulled back.
Top 5 cryptocurrencies to watch this week: BTC, SOL, AVAX, ALGO, AXS
Bitcoin (BTC) continues to face strong selling as bulls attempt to flip the psychological level at $60,000 into support. Some analysts believe that Bitcoin could enter a correction as traders book profits following the successful launch of last week's Bitcoin exchange-traded funds.


text:
The Jordan Horizon “French Blue” is an upcoming colorway of the new Jordan Horizon silhouette that will be debuting later this year.
This particular release has a similar color scheme as the 2016 retro Air Jordan 12 “French Blue” that will be debuting later this year in March. Dressed in a French Blue, Wolf Grey, and White color scheme. The shoe carries an Air Jordan 13 build that is completed with an icy translucent outsole.
Check out the official images below and look for the Jordan Horizon “French Blue” to release soon at select Jordan Brand retail stores, including Nike.com
French Blue/Wolf Grey-White


text:
From brilliant budget mattresses to a $699 fridge worth its weight in gold: Experts reveal the five cheap household products that outperform expensive brands
- New consumer research compared items like fridges, vacuums and mattresses
- One Miele oven costing $7,399 rated lower than Fisher & Paykel’s $1,049 version
- Testers also found a Dyson vacuum did not clean as well as a cheaper alternative
- A $499 Wonderest mattress also went down better than a $2,499 industry leader
Five cheap household products outperform more expensive alternatives, new testing has found.
A study by Choice tested some of the world’s most well-reputed brands like Miele and Dyson against lesser-known makes with surprising results.
Expert testers reported better performance in washing machines, vacuums and ovens with prices as much as 85 per cent cheaper than industry leaders.
Five cheap household products outperform their more expensive alternatives, new testing has found (pictured a $1,199 LG top-loader, which rated better than a $2,495 version)
LG is one of the biggest names in household appliances, but that doesn’t mean they don’t appeal to the cheaper end of the market.
Their $1,199 LG WTG1032WF top-loader was given a spin efficiency score of 78 per cent and a dirt removal score of 75 per cent.
A $2,495 Speed Queen AWNA62 with the same function, meanwhile, came in with a water efficiency score of just 16 per cent.
Its dirt removal score was a more respectable 54 per cent, but even that came in lower than LG’s ranking of 75 per cent.
One of the largest gap in prices in the consumer advocacy group’s latest survey came in the bedroom category – with a $499 Wonderest Mattress costing $2,000 less than a SleepMaker Miracoil product.
One of the largest gap in prices in the consumer advocacy group’s latest survey came in the bedroom category – with a $499 Wonderest Mattress (pictured) costing $2000 less than a SleepMaker Miracoil product
But while the latter promises superior spinal support and energy-absorbing properties, it fell foul of the survey’s participants.
Testers gave the new product a comfort score of just 39 per cent, while male and female participants gave the Wonderest version scores of 95 and 98 per cent.
Dyson’s vacuum cleaners are renowned for being at the cutting edge of new technology, but one didn’t fare well in the latest survey.
Lower-end manufacturer Vax’s Ultra Pro Powerhead VX59 costs just $269 but registered a cleaning performance score of 76 per cent.
Dyson’s vacuum cleaners are renowned for being at the cutting edge of new technology, but one (pictured left Dyson’s $999 Cinetic Big Ball Animalpro) didn’t fare well in the latest survey (pictured right a cheaper Vax Ultra Pro Powerhead VX59 for $269)
By comparison, Dyson’s $999 Cinetic Big Ball Animalpro was given a meagre 50 per cent in the same category.
CHOICE’s vacuum expert Chris Barnes said while Dyson was better for barrel and upright vacuum cleaners their superiority didn’t apply across all categories.
The Miele H 6290 B is labelled by the brand as being a leader in energy-efficient and easy-to-clean ovens.
But despite its lofty $7,399 price tag it did not perform well with testers, who gave the product a grilling score of 55 per cent and 61 per cent for ease of use.
Fisher & Paykel’s much cheaper $1,049 alternative will set you back a fraction of the price and received a performance score of 96 per cent and full marks for baking.
Fisher & Paykel’s $1049 oven (pictured) will set you back a fraction of the price of a $7,399 Miele H 6290 B. The cheaper oven received a performance score of 96 per cent and full marks for baking
A $2699 Miele KFN 12823 offers attractive qualities like easy cleaning – but testers deemed it inferior to a version by Chinese make Changhong (pictured)
As with its oven, a $2,699 Miele KFN 12823 offers attractive qualities like easy cleaning – but testers deemed it inferior to a $699 version by Chinese make Changhong.
The latter’s product description promises crisper, fresher food and it did not disappoint in the new ratings.
For its ability to keep food fresh for longer it was given a score of 75 per cent, while Miele’s pricier fridge came in with 52 per cent.
Testers also didn’t like the Miele alternative’s default setting – which they said was too warm for food that was fresh – giving it a temperature stability score of 40 per cent.


text:
Sun & Sand to add 20 stores in UAE
The sports apparel retailer Sun & Sand will next year add a further 20 stores in the UAE as it expands across the region.
The retailer, which runs more than 100 stores in the Emirates, also operates outlets for sub-brands such as Nike and Timberland.
Gulf Marketing Group (GMG), the parent of Sun & Sand Sports, embarked on a period of unprecedented expansion last year, with more than 40 store openings across the Arabian Gulf. Sixty new outlets are planned for next year, mainly in Saudi Arabia.
The expansion drive comes even as retail sales in the UAE have shown a marked softening this year as a stronger US dollar and a drop in the number of Russian visitors weigh on demand.
While Sun & Sand reports 5 per cent year-on-year growth in like-for-like sales this year across its stores, its distribution partners have reported falls of up to 10 per cent.
“It’s not a situation I see changing over the next year,” said Miquel Pancorbo, president of the sports division at GMG.
“The retail climate is not as strong as previously, especially in Dubai Mall and Mall of Emirates [MoE],” he said. “There are a variety of factors such as the strength of the dollar versus the euro, the downturn in the Russian economy and the softening of the Chinese economy.”
He said that increasing rental rates at malls were also putting pressure on margins and that mall operators were “disconnected” from the realities in the market.
Representatives of MoE and The Dubai Mall could not be reached for comment.
The Dubai-based multi-brand Landmark Group is also pushing ahead with the expansion of it Sportsone-branded outlets. It began in 2012 but now has 18 outlets with another 10 planned for next year across the UAE and the region.
“My sales growth only comes from expansion at the moment,” said Shivam Goyal, business head of Sportsone. “Landmark Group also runs Fitness First gyms and we are seeing strong growth there which gives us great belief in the sector. We expect [a] 55 per cent to 60 per cent jump in turnover once this expansion is complete. Our Abu Dhabi store has the largest basket sizes with a predominantly local customer base. Dubai has, largely, more traffic but an expatriate base.”
Global sales of sports apparel and footwear stood at US$270 billion last year, jumping 42 per cent over the past seven years, according to Morgan Stanley. It forecasts average annual sales growth of 5 per cent during the next five years, driven by growth in eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“An important factor positively impacting sportswear is a growing consumer fashion sense,” said Diana Jarmalaite, a research analyst at Euromonitor International. “Consumers seek colours, special designs and want to mix and match their sportswear items. Finally, facilitated by the governmental investment, new running, cycling paths are built within almost every residential compound and this helps to attract attention of new potential customers for sportswear.”
Sports footwear guarantees a steady steam of customers of all ages, types and nationalities and the Mena region is fast becoming an important geography for the brands that want to become recognised. New Balance is one such brand. It had global sales of $3.3bn last year but Mena accounted for almost nothing said Darren Tucker, New Balance’s vice president.
“We have changed our local partner, because it wasn’t working” he said. “Lifestyle is 30 to 40 per cent of ours sales and we see huge potential in the UAE and wider region. We will now open 40 mono branded stores across the GCC in the next five years. We are finding it difficult to find space in the top malls but we will be in Yas Mall soon.”


text:
In an unprecedented action, Florida Power and Light Co. has temporarily pulled the plug on a Broward energy firm that sells solar hot-water heating systems to homeowners throughout the state.
FPL took the action against Nationwide Power Corp., suspending an arrangement by which rebates were made available to homeowners who purchased or leased a solar heating system from the Pompano Beach-based firm.
FPL spokesman Carl Pounds said Nationwide has been temporarily "de-listed" from the program pending an investigation into the firm's supposed use of unapproved solar heating panels.
Meanwhile, the Florida Attorney General's office is "looking into" recent consumer complaints against Nationwide, the target of a 1982 civil complaint charging unfair and deceptive trade practices in its promotional literature.
Nationwide, which resolved the state's civil complaint in 1984 by signing an assurance of voluntary compliance, sells its solar hot-water heating system for a base price of about $4,000, promoting an arrangement that includes attractive financial incentives.
Most homeowners base the purchase of expensive solar heating systems on such incentives as a federal tax credit and FPL rebates, which range from $164 for a single-member home to a maximum of $440 for a family of seven or more.
The tax-credit plan ends Dec. 31. It now amounts to 40 percent of the cost of the system as long as it does not exceed $10,000, officials said.
FPL has never before taken such action against an energy firm in Broward since the conservation program was initiated in 1982, according to Pounds. It continues to award the rebates through other South Florida firms that sell and install solar-heating systems approved by the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cape Canaveral.
Denis Costa Tseklenis, who is listed in corporate papers as the president of Nationwide, did not return repeated phones calls to his office in Pompano Beach.
Pounds, the FPL spokesman, said last week the July 5 action against Nationwide is temporary, pending an approximately two-week-long inspection of many of the solar heating panels installed in Broward by Nationwide.
"Depending on what the inspection shows up, we'll make a determination," he said.
He said the action by FPL was prompted in part by a recent lawsuit filed against Nationwide by Equinox Solar Inc., a Miami-based manufacturer of solar heating panels.
Equinox alleged that Nationwide sold non-approved solar heating panels to a number of customers, affixing an Equinox label in an effort to disguise the supposedly inferior equipment. The lawsuit was settled out of court in late May, said Lawrence Schechterman, corporate attorney for Equinox.
With about 2.5 million customers in the southern half of the state, FPL has awarded rebates to 27,947 homeowners who have purchased solar heating systems from dozens of firms between 1982 and July 1985, Pounds said.
He said 12,755 homeowners served by FPL qualified for rebates after purchasing solar hot-water heating systems in 1984.
Sherman Reynolds, an assistant state attorney general in Miami, said he has received about 20 recent complaints, most of which were filed by consumers who contend they were misled about the amount of monthly payments they would have to make on their solar heating system.
"'We do have a number of complaints against the company and we are looking into it," Reynolds said. "I anticipate that we will conclude in a matter of weeks. We're building up quite a file.
"A large number of people who complained thought they were responsible for monthly payments of $8.33, but later received monthly billings of about $52 to $53," he said.
The civil complaint filed in 1982 by the Attorney General's Office alleged that Nationwide had engaged in a series of unfair and deceptive trade practices in its advertising and promotional literature.
Among other allegedly false claims, the firm represented itself as a private utility rated "No. 1" by the Florida Solar Energy Center, according to the complaint.
Salesman for the firm also had told customers they were eligible for a 40 percent federal tax credit after signing an agreement to lease the solar hot- water heating system, according to the complaint.
In the three-page assurance of voluntary compliance, signed Feb. 18, 1984, Nationwide agreed that customers should be apprised in writing to "consult his tax advisor concerning eligibility for the tax creit as determined by the Internal Revenue Service."
The agreement was signed by James A. Sharon, who was listed as president of the firm at the time. The compliance agreement was executed at the company's corporate office in Lakeland.


text:
The idea: When it came to packaging for its rechargeable men’s shavers, Panasonic historically had a “different strokes for different folks” mentality: One box was designed for mass, another was created for class—and more for stores in between. Then a Target deal came along. “We were never able to get on shelf at Target before,” said Phil Federspiel, principal and CEO of Avon, Conn.-based design agency Group 4. He knew a facelift—not just a cosmetic one, but the kind that would unify the line of shavers and clearly communicate their premium, high-tech features—was in order.
The plan: To get on Target’s shelves, Panasonic needed to make sure its new package design was on target. Consumer research was phase one. The design agency conducted retail audits and found that brand buyers were evenly split among male users and female gifters. It also learned that while the packaging called out the bells and whistles of the product (such as speed), it didn’t translate what the benefits of such attributes were (“no pulling and tugging”) over that of a rotary or electric shaver.
The process: Next, it was time to get wordy by calling out product features that came out of those sessions. “We needed to make the product a bold hero on the shelf,” said Deb Kline, Group 4’s director of packaging, branding and merchandising. Pana-sonic has some hairy competition, including Braun, Remington and Philips shavers, so, “We talked to them about the appeal of the product versus the competitors’ claims. Then we worked on the language to make sure the front panel communication was right,” said Kline.
The results: The new design was ready in time for a June 2008 Father’s Day test at a few stores, and the client was happy with the results. So much so that the design intended for Target Stores has rolled out to other retailers, such as Best Buy. “Because Panasonic doesn’t advertise, this package has to do a lot more work than competitors’,” Federspiel said.
THE FINAL DESIGN
Razor sharp: To establish a hierarchy of information, the brand name was placed on top while a bottom band was created to highlight features. A soft metallic effect invokes technology, and side and back panels detail the product’s blade, motion and cleaning features.
Nano no-no: Prototype designs stressed high-tech style but still didn’t convey product features. One exploration nixed by the client blew up the Panasonic brand name a little too big. “It’s the first time we’ve ever heard that from a client!” Federspiel said. The cumbersome “Panasonic Nano Vortex HydraClean System II” from the original box (top) is now simply Panasonic in the final design (left). Specific model info, such as whether the shaver features the Nanotech blade or the Vortex Cleaning System, is organized at the bottom. The reasoning? “It made sense to consolidate that batch of names,” Federspiel said.


text:
If you’re looking for more content for your 4K TV, you’ll soon have somewhere new to turn: YouTube. The Google-owned company will demonstrate 4K video next week at the International CES show as it moves forward with offering next-generation video.
YouTube will serve up 4K (a.k.a. Ultra HD or UHD) in a new format called VP9, a royalty-free codec that will also reportedly offer a better experience with Google Hangouts, according to GigaOm. VP9 consumes considerably less data than other, commercial codecs (such as H.265), YouTube said, letting the service stream higher-quality streams with less bandwidth.
However, hardware must support the format before consumers can view the streams. Google is reportedly working on that, too; it will demo streamed 4K content on TVs from LG, Panasonic and Sony. Several other partners, including Samsung, ARM and Intel, have signed up to build hardware that supports VP9.
This isn’t the first time YouTube has experimented with 4K. The service first ventured into supporting the format, which is typically 3,840 x 2,160 or 4x the pixel resolution of full HD, in 2010. Though the 4K streams appeared to work for Mashable’s Christina Warren when she watched them over a 50Mbps connection, she couldn’t verify the clarity since 4K monitors were a rarity four years ago.
That has changed, with several manufacturers offering 4K TVs and displays — some at impressively low prices. The challenge now is bringing true 4K content to consumers. YouTube is addressing this along with the likes of Netflix, which tested offering 4K videos, and Sony, which offers a 4K download service to owners of its 4K TVs.


text:
Leading igaming content provider Pragmatic Play has just signed a deal agreeing to deliver its entire slots suite to Colombian operator, Luckia. This deal will allow Pragmatic Play to continue its foray into the Latin American market.
Luckia’s players will now be able to access Pragmatic Play’s portfolio of slot games, including Wolf Gold, and its latest release Wild Walker and the John Hunter series.
“Pragmatic’s games portfolio is packed with titles that are known worldwide for their high quality and exciting gameplay. Enhancing our product offering is vital to us and we are confident this partnership will enable us to attract Colombia an even wider casino audience,” Jaume Moragues, online director at Luckia, said.
Luckia will deliver the slot content to its online and retail platforms, and Pragmatic Play will provide them with local gaming expertise with its new LatAm hub.
“Our slots content has proven incredibly popular in the region, and signing this deal with Luckia, one of Colombia’s largest operators, will allow us to showcase our quality games to a much wider audience,” Melissa Summerfield, Pragmatic Play CCO, said.
“With the help of our newly-established LatAm hub, we’ve been able to expand our footprint quickly and effectively in the area, while our local presence will help us to continue building on this mutually beneficial partnership with Luckia going forward,” she added.


text:
The conference report for H.R. 4040, Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, is already scheduled on today's House suspension calendar, so an overwhelming vote for passage is expected. It could go to the Senate for a Friday vote and observers expect the President to sign it into law.
The full, 183-page conference report has been posted as a .pdf at the NAM's blog, Shopfloor.org, here.
The conference report reflects quite a bit of business input to bring balance to the legislation, in particular ameliorating Senate language (S.2045, S.2663) or adding provisions to protect from the wildest of litigation. But the self-styled consumer activist groups, symbiotes of the trial bar, are still extremely pleased at the victory over "special interests." (Joint news release here and Consumer Affairs.com article.) Meanwhile, the Hill reports that the U.S. Chamber opposes the bill because it increases litigation and rejects sound science, such as in provisions banning phthalates. (UPDATE: Chamber lettter here.) An ugly precedent, that's for sure, as Congress moves toward a European "precautionary principle."
Key provisions from a litigation standpoint:
- State attorneys general (Section 218) will have the authority to file for injunctive relief in federal court against products that violate a standard, are sold in violation of a recall, or violate new certification provisions in the act. An AG must also provide the CPSC a 30-day notice before court action, but there's a big loophole: Any time the attorney general alleges there is a substantial product hazard, he can file the suit immediately without any notice. So you won't have 50 self-appointed CPSC state officials running around enforcing their own state standards, but there's plenty of possible mischief in the law.
- Whistleblower provisions (Section 219): Employers are prohibited from firing or punishing any employee who reports violations of consumer product safety laws. The self-identified "whistleblower' can file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor about such retribution and then can go on to U.S. District Court for satisfaction. Some corporate counsels are comparing these provisions to the whistleblower provisions in Sarbanes-Oxley. In any case, employment law has just expanded into new product safety areas -- Get in on the ground floor!
- Public database (Section 212): The bill details, and we mean details a public database to disseminate consumer complaints, including anonymous complaints, naming manufacturers and products. The manufacturers get a chance to respond and unfounded or inaccurate will be corrected or explained. Supposedly.
More as the bill proceeds.


text:
As the world’s third largest cocoa producer, Indonesia is home to more than one million farm households who depend on cocoa as their main source of income. On July 1, in conjunction with the international cocoa industry, the country launched a program to improve the Aceh cocoa sector -- an area that provides income for 90,000 small cocoa farmers who are recovering from the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.
(Peningkatan Ekonomi Kakao Aceh) is a three-year program that will
increase and improve revenue, productivity and quality standards of
Aceh’s cocoa. Located in the northwestern tip of Sumatra, Aceh has a
population of about 4.5 million and includes more than 10% of
Swisscontact, the Swiss Foundation for
Technical Cooperation, is leading the consortium of international NGOs
implementing the PEKA program. Plans include training on farming
practices to improve yields and developing local business services to
provide farm inputs such as seedlings, fertilizer, pesticides, tools
and capital for cocoa farmers.
Other contributors to the program
include the World Cocoa Foundation, which will coordinate a cocoa
research scientist fellowship program; Mars Incorporated, which will
provide its latest research to Aceh cocoa producers; and UK Armajaro,
which plans to facilitate direct purchasing from farmers to cocoa
processors and manufacturers.
For more information, see details of Swisscontact’s programs atwww.swisscontact.or.idor visitwww.worldcocoafoundation.org.


text:
Workers who deliver hundreds of tonnes of Gib to worksites across Auckland every day are on strike for better pay.
About 40 truckers and laborers picket the Penrose base of the delivery company they work for, CV Compton.
They want an 11% raise, but the company has offered much less.
Truck driver Hori Potaka said the cost of living was causing them hardship while those higher up the Gib Range were making big profits.
“Gib is not an easy job. Everybody wants it right now and it’s worth gold and I think we’re worth gold because we deliver it and they can’t get their Gib without us .”
Assistant driver James Ramea has worked for CV Compton for a decade.
If it felt like those delivering Gib had fallen out of the value chain, he said.
“Their mark is 300 tonnes a day and if we exceed that both companies, Winstone Wallboards and CV Compton, get a bonus and nothing is shared with the workers.”
It took time to train the workers to deliver the plasterboard, but they often lasted less than a week on site because it was heavy work, Ramea said.
“It comes on pallets, sizes ranging from 2.4m to 6m and the health and safety regulations we are starting from is for a 30kg single person lift.”
Fellow driver and shop steward Rick said he usually delivers three 10-tonne loads a day.
“We want to be paid what we’re worth. We’re worth more than that, but that’s what we want right now.”
First Union organizer Emreck Brown said CV Compton was paying its drivers below market rate at $26 an hour – compared to the benchmark of $30.
“I hope the company will come and meet us at 11%, just so our members can live comfortably and get by week after week.”
Gib was in high demand and those delivering the plasterboard were working hard, he said.
“Gib’s prices have gone up over the last couple of years and this year they’ve gone up dramatically. We need the support of the business just to help the members who are helping the business.”
Ramea said some members were facing financial difficulties, but it was not something they liked to admit.
After the rent and household expenses, he had little left in his pocket to feed himself.
“One hundred bucks has to go to food and your vehicle, that’s pretty hard. You have to depend on your other half or your family for support and no grown man wants to depend on his family. That’s enough. embarrassing.”
The shop steward and assistant to the Wiki driver said: ‘Every gesture matters to us, we are all struggling and we need it. That’s why we are here today.’
The strike will continue until the end of the week unless an agreement is reached.
CV Compton has been approached for comment.


text:
How newsletter publishers re-engage lapsed subscribers
But the things that make email an attractive channel to publishers also make it a difficult place to re-engage readers. The tricks that might pull straying readers back toward another digital property, such as targeting them with ads on social platforms, are either ineffective, inefficient or unavailable as options for wayward newsletter subscribers.
Publishers that lose newsletter subscribers’ attention also have to give those people up quickly, both to preserve their open rates and their email deliverability.
“We just see this as a part of doing business,” said Sean Ryan, the co-founder of Rotary Digital, a media company that operates newsletters including Elevator, which has over 300,000 subscribers.
Combating this issue can be difficult in part because it can take a while to recognize it. Most publishers will wait several weeks, or even months, before concluding that a newsletter subscriber has lapsed, depending on how frequently that newsletter is published.
And because of the scale that successful newsletters operate at, the first line of defense is usually automated. Noah Keil, svp of audience development and insights at Group Nine Media, said his team examines how effective its automated programs are every three to four months. It’s gone back and forth between higher and lower levels of automated messaging on its newsletter programs.
Keil said that it’s had “surprising” success bringing back subscribers that lapse after several years of opening emails. But new subscribers are tougher to bring back, so Keil’s team tries to identify potentially lapses among new subscribers more quickly. “If somebody is newer, we’re going to try and move them through that process a lot quicker,” Keil said.
Many publishers have found that they need to drastically change what they’re sending if they want to catch a lapsed subscriber’s attention. An Elevator subscriber who hasn’t opened an email in 90 days, for example, gets a personalized note addressed to the subscriber by name. If someone hasn’t opened Morning Brew, a daily business newsletter with over 700,000 subscribers, in six weeks, they get a message from the CEO, which is meant to restate the value of the newsletter itself.
A user who signs up at 8am and forgets they did might find “everything we send them looks like spam to them,” Morning Brew cofounder Austin Rief said.
But if standing out in a disinterested person’s inbox is difficult, trying to break through in a separate environment isn’t necessarily more effective. Rief said that Morning Brew has tried to re-engage lapsed subscribers by targeting them with ads on Facebook, but the tests were minimally effective. “If you don’t want a daily email, the platform’s not going to matter,” Rief said.
Lapsed subscribers pose a different kind of risk for publishers with paid newsletters. Substack, a newsletter service that powers paid newsletters including Bill Bishop’s Sinocism and Matt Taibbi’s The Fairway, will begin messaging subscribers two weeks before their year-long subscriptions are set to expire.
If a renewal doesn’t take place, it sends three automatic notes, followed by a fourth written by the newsletter’s author. The approach helped recover “well over half” of the subscriptions that lapsed, according to Substack co-founder Chris Best.
“We don’t want our success to come from people forgetting that they’re paying for stuff,” Best said.
‘Let the buyers know you exist’: How Morning Brew plans to grow brand ad dollars from its base of direct response
Direct-response ads accounted for 90% of Morning Brew's 2019 revenue in 2019. Its CEO wants brand advertising to account for 50% by the end of 2021.
‘A significant uptick in deal flow’: Why Europe is becoming a hotbed of ad tech innovation
Ad tech companies with data privacy and identity solutions are in vogue among the sector's investors and acquirers.
‘We can be agile and evolve’: News UK is quickly growing a 7-figure incremental revenue stream from social video
The goal for Social Studio is a 10-day turnaround from campaign booking to going live.
SponsoredPublishers: Assessing risk and ensuring payments in times of crisis
As the industry navigates the continued impacts of COVID-19, here’s the questions publishers should ask their programmatic partners or ad management providers to protect themselves from clawbacks and lost revenue.
Lack of events revenue squeezes B2B media, forcing virtual volume — and innovation
Advertising, subscriptions and commerce have begun to recover. But events have not, and B2B media companies are feeling the squeeze.
TikTok’s Blake Chandlee on working with U.S. brands despite conflict with the White House
Blake Chandlee, TikTok's vp of global business solutions, downplays any compromising ties between the company and its country of origin.


text:
Engine oil market expanding fast
The engine oil market has grown at nearly 15 percent during the last three years thanks to a rise in the use of automobiles and introduction of new power plants.
Lubricant consumption rose over 14 percent in three years to 160 tonnes this year while the number of registered vehicles increased 2.5 times to 3,663,189 units in eight years.
Meanwhile, the country's actual power generation went up nearly 2.5 times to 11,623 megawatts in the last eight years, according to data from Bangladesh Power Development Board.
The demand for lubricants will rise keeping pace with the increasing population, as every motor, be it of vehicles or machines, used by humans needs the oil for smooth operation, industry insiders said.
The liquid's demand will continue to rise at least for the next 15 years, as the quick rental power plants need a huge quantity of lube oil to run, said Md Shahin Alom, deputy general manager for sales and marketing at MJL Bangladesh Ltd.
The market size doubled in the last five years due to establishment of a number of power plants across the country, he said.
“Lubricant consumption by the industrial sector has increased significantly in the last five years,” said Mohammed Shahidul Islam, chairman of HNS, the sole dealer of SK Lubricant ZIC, a South Korean engine oil manufacturer.
The ZIC has achieved around 25 percent growth on an average since its launch in 2016, Islam told The Daily Star.
The premium segment of the customers and the industrial sector are the major clients of the ZIC, he said.
“We import finished lubricants from South Korea directly and hope to be a big shareholder in the Bangladesh market soon.”
The automotive sector accounts for 70 percent of the total lubricant consumption in Bangladesh and industries the remaining 30 percent, said Syed Nazib M Rahman, director of Runner Lube and Energy Ltd.
There are around 15 renowned lubricant brands in Bangladesh, he said.
Mobil is the leader with 27 percent market share, followed by British Petroleum (BP) (11 percent), French brand Total (5 percent) and Shell, Castrol and Caltex (2 percent each), industry insiders said.
In the premium segment, Mobil occupies 34 percent market share while the remaining is held by 50 other brands.
Adulterated lubricants are also available in the market, which actually damages engines of automobiles, said Alom of MJL Bangladesh.


text:
7:40 p.m. | Updated
Charles W. Stiefel made a fortune when the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline acquired his family-owned dermatology business, Stiefel Laboratories, for $2.9 billion in 2009.
He also defrauded his staff in the process, according to a lawsuit filed Monday against Mr. Stiefel and his company, now a GlaxoSmithKline subsidiary, by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The S.E.C. accused Mr. Stiefel of cheating the former employees out of more than $110 million by hiding vital information about the company — including the potential acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline — while Stiefel Labs was buying their shares in the company’s stock plan at extremely low valuations.
The civil action against Mr. Stiefel, filed in federal court in Miami, is unusual because it involves privately held stock, rather than publicly traded shares. The S.E.C. has begun to take a closer look at privately held companies, including the buying and selling of shares in social networking companies like Facebook and Twitter.
“Private companies and their officers must understand that they are not immune from the federal securities laws, which protect all shareholders regardless of whether they bought stock in the open market or earned shares through a company’s stock plan,” said Eric I. Bustillo, the director of the commission’s Miami office.
A GlaxoSmithKline spokesman denied that its subsidiary or Mr. Stiefel had acted improperly or violated securities laws. The company plans to defend itself against the S.E.C.’s complaint.
Lawyers for Mr. Stiefel, 61, who is now an adviser to a private equity firm, did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Stiefel also faces civil lawsuits filed by several former employees essentially making the same complaint as the S.E.C.
The case shines a spotlight on Stiefel, which before its acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline was the world’s largest privately held maker of skin-care products, with about $1 billion in sales and roughly 4,000 employees. The company was started by the Stiefel family in Germany as a maker of medicated soaps. Stiefel, which was based in Coral Gables, Fla., made a variety of products, including Duac, an acne cream, and Zeasorb, an antifungal treatment.
While the Stiefel family owned the vast majority of the business, it began in the 1970s to share the company’s growth, allowing its employees to acquire shares as part of a stock plan. In 2006, when Mr. Stiefel became the company’s controlling shareholder, he began to explore interest from outside investors, according to the S.E.C.
Over the next three years, Mr. Stiefel courted various investment proposals from multiple private equity firms and large corporations. In 2007, Stiefel Laboratories received a $500 million minority investment from the private equity giant Blackstone Group.
During that period, the Stiefel family acquired several thousand shares from its employees and other shareholders. The S.E.C. said that those purchases were made at misleading valuations, because Mr. Stiefel knew that the company was worth far more based on his conversations with Blackstone and other potential investors.
For example, Stiefel, in the months leading up to the sale to GlaxoSmithKline, repurchased more than 800 shares at $16,469 a share, according to the S.E.C. complaint. GlaxoSmithKline bought the company for $68,000 a share, more than four times what it had paid its employees for its shares, the S.E.C. said. During that period, the Stiefel family sent each other e-mails indicating that they were alert to the company’s valuation and how it might spike in the event of an acquisition, according to the complaint.
“It would look really bad to have my 2 sons award me a whole bunch of additional stock right before a sale of the company at a stock price many times the price used to calculate my stock,” wrote Mr. Stiefel to his two sons in February 2009, according to the S.E.C. “This might be a windfall for me, but none of us need or want the potential scrutiny or maybe even lawsuits.”
Two weeks later, one of Mr. Stiefel’s sons, Brent Stiefel, e-mailed his father and his brother, Todd Stiefel. In the note, he specified how much the family should expect to receive as a result of the numerous stock buybacks from its employees if the company were sold.
“It’s nice to see the $ go up for all of us!” wrote Brent Stiefel, according to the S.E.C. complaint.


text:
Apple’s new streaming television service ‘Apple TV Plus’ is now available in the TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac, along with other devices like Smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV sticks and the web at tv.apple.com.
The service is available in more than 100 countries around the world, including India, and the content is subtitled or dubbed in close to 40 languages, CNET reported on Thursday.
The Cupertino-based company, which has a reported budget of $6 billion to rope in some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, is staking the most on The Morning Show, its marquee drama starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.
If you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch, you can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. Once the free period is over, customers will still pay Rs. 99 a month. Through family sharing, up to six family members can share one Apple TV+ subscription.
TV shows that are available at launch include See, The Morning Show, Dickinson, For All Mankind, Helpsters, Snoopy in Space, Ghostwriter, and Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. The Elephant Queen, a documentary, is also available.―The Hindu


text:
Thai transgender rights advocate buys Miss Universe contest for $20 million
Tanushree Roy • Updated: 218 days ago • Follow
In a round of good news, a Thai celebrity media tycoon Jakapong
“Anne” Jakrajutatip, who is a transgender woman has bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20m. This is the first time a woman has become the owner of the beauty pageant organiser, the company revealed.
The contest was co-owned by Donald Trump
between 1996 and 2002. It is broadcasted in 165 countries and has been running for 71 years.
According to reports, Jakapong “Anne” Jakrajutatip is the chief executive and biggest shareholder of JKN Global Group. She is a celebrity in Thailand. She has also starred in Thailand versions of Project Runway and Shark Tank.
Jakapong has also set up Life Inspired For Thailand Foundation, which helps transgender people to advocate for equal rights and the dignity they deserve. The organisation also helps in getting opportunities for transgender people.
According to reports, Jakapong studied at an all-male school and was bullied for identifying as a female. Her company announced the takeover on Wednesday and stated that they plan to grow the Miss Universe Organization by expanding in Asia. They have also planned to launch new merchandise including various skin care ranges, cosmetics, drinks, dietary supplements and lifestyle products.
Jakkaphong said the company was “incredibly honored” to make the acquisition. She said in a statement, “We seek not only to continue its legacy of providing a platform to passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions but also to evolve the brand for the next generation."
In a joint statement, the CEO and president of the Miss Universe Organization said they were “excited to continue the evolution of the Miss Universe Organization with JKN.”
For the uninitiated, the pageant lifted the ban on transgender contestants in 2012.
For Bollywood news
, Today's Horoscope
, Movie Reviews
, Listen to Best Podcasts
across Romance, Drama, Horror Podcasts
Comments • 0


text:
Last year, the creators of the blue LED light were honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics. According to the article, Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura all contributed to creating the blue light emitting diode (LED) in the early 1990s. Previously, red and green LEDs existed however it was the discovery of the blue light that made it possible to produce white light when placed alongside the red and green diodes.
LED bulbs offer an array of benefits over traditional incandescent bulbs, including being more energy efficient, lasting up to 30 years, and providing a brighter light. This makes LEDs ideal, not only for home and office use, but also for automotive applications and screens for mobile devices.
Now, the United Nations has declared 2015 The Year of Light and Light-based Technologies. This means that companies are working on developing new LED technologies and the global LED market is expected to experience growth in 2015. Additionally, new technology is helping to make the LED market more viable with bulbs like Cree has developed that allow for more efficient light conversion to further reduce the number of bulbs necessary.


text:
Research in Motion introduced its latest BlackBerry operating system, which promises to help RIM compete better in the consumer smart phone market.
BlackBerry OS 6.0 addresses some of the weaknesses of the aging platform, making it more intuitive, social and fluid, while improving the browser. The new operating system will be out in the next quarter and there’s a good chance it will also be coming to existing BlackBerrys.
In the two-minute video above, you can see the OS has some nice improvements including more animation and cleaner graphics in the basic user interface. There is also less reliance on the menu button and more direct actions using contextual pop-up menus.
There is multi-touch support for touch BlackBerry devices and an improved Webkit-based browser that sports multiple tabs. The media player has also gotten an upgrade and looks more slick. And there is also support for universal searches on the phone.
Like all the other smart phone platforms, BlackBerry OS is trying to get more social with a social feed that pulls in updates from Facebook and Twitter and integrates them with RSS feeds.
Even the mail client looks improved with better integration with the phone and contacts list.
RIM still has a ways to go to get as consumer-friendly as the iPhone or Android devices. Especially for its touch Storm devices, the UI feels more designed for traditional non-touch BlackBerrys. The new OS should help RIM create devices that really take advantage of touch technology but we won’t know for sure until we see the OS on new handsets.


text:
Roku Inc (NASDAQ:ROKU) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts
Roku Inc (NASDAQ:ROKU) has received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $81.61.
ROKU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Vertical Group raised Roku from a “negative” rating to a “mixed” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Roku from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 25th. SunTrust Banks boosted their target price on Roku to $63.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Roku to $60.00 and gave the company an “average” rating in a report on Friday, February 22nd. Finally, Zacks Investment Research lowered Roku from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 23rd.
In related news, SVP Stephen H. Kay sold 3,000 shares of Roku stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.92, for a total value of $173,760.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Anthony J. Wood sold 35,000 shares of Roku stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.70, for a total value of $2,404,500.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 247,887 shares of company stock worth $19,450,730. Company insiders own 22.70% of the company’s stock.
ROKU opened at $102.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,275.25 and a beta of 2.43. Roku has a 52 week low of $26.30 and a 52 week high of $106.12.
Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.15. The business had revenue of $206.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.80 million. Roku had a negative return on equity of 4.60% and a negative net margin of 1.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 51.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.07) earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Roku will post -0.6 EPS for the current year.
Roku, Inc operates a TV streaming platform. The company operates in two segments, Platform and Player. Its platform allows users to discover and access various movies and TV episodes, as well as live sports, music, news, and others. As of December 31, 2018, the company had 27.1 million active accounts.
Featured Story: Return on Investment (ROI)
Receive News & Ratings for Roku Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Roku and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.